


Darn auto-correct - "beau-père" not  "au pair" !

by p_o_u_n_c_e_r



Series: Lady Alys's In-Basket [6]
Category: Vorkosigan Saga - Lois McMaster Bujold
Genre: Etiquette, Family Issues, protocol
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-22
Updated: 2017-04-22
Packaged: 2018-10-22 17:45:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 625
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10701957
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/p_o_u_n_c_e_r/pseuds/p_o_u_n_c_e_r
Summary: The French have a word for it.  (But they've almost quit using it.)





	Darn auto-correct - "beau-père" not  "au pair" !

Dear Lady Alys,  
  
I have a new step-da. He's okay I guess. My mom likes him. I think I'm supposed to get him a birthday gift. I don't mind. He's given me some cool stuff. So that's fair, right? My step-da's really rich, though. But I get a tiny allowance. I mean, like, half anybody else's in my class. Which is still okay, I'm not going to bed hungry. But I'm having a hard time figuring what a kid spending part of a tiny allowance -- he's nice, but not my WHOLE ALLOWANCE worth's of nice -- can get for a rich adult. And don't tell me to make something. 'Cause first I'm a kid and I'm not practiced on making stuff and next I'm not allowed to use power tools which isn't at ALL fair but is still the rule and besides it costs money to get the parts and stuff to make the finished stuff and I just said I don't have any money, or not very much so making stuff is just a stupid idea. No offense.

Anyhow I thought I could figure out a gift of a new special, like, title for him from just me, because "da" is my original biological father who's name I still carry and "step-da" sounds lame or like the villain in a folk tale. And worse, you know, seems also like I don't really like him and I kind of do. I say sometimes "Sir" but that is just too common. You know, like, I can think of at least four other people I call Sir. Five if you count the person I'm supposed to call "Sire". That means "Da" even if he isn't anybody's da yet. But so I thought, if you could think, of some special title that I could call my step-da that and show respect, like saying Sire. But shows special, you know, trust and like that?

So, could you write me quick and tell me what a kid is supposed to call a step-da who isn't a villain? I'm sorry if I'm rushing you but the first person I asked who's one of the men I call Sir (because Captain-Step-Cousin-Uncle-Lord Ixxx is just silly) suggested I use a French word -- bo pair -- but soon after that I remembered something else my step-da warned about HIM. So I looked up that suggestion and I found the words mean a girl housekeeper. I think either he said it wrong or I heard it wrong or he was pulling a joke on me or a joke on my step-da or maybe it got spelled wrong into the comconsole. And I don't even start learning French until NEXT semester. But it turned out he was no help whatever though and now I'm running out of time.

I would start using the new da-name on his birthday and it would be unique and nobody else would give it to him. My soon step-brother and step-sister even - and I guess they'd say "da" instead. But I would be first and only ever to use a special step-da name and it wouldn't cost me anything. Though if you have a really cool title I'd give you ten marks for it, which is almost my whole allowance after all. Or as long as it's not lame it doesn't have to be super cool but then I wouldn't pay you, even if I wind up having to use it, which is fair, right?

Oh, one more thing. My step-da is important. He's kind of a High Vor, if that matters. But he says it usually doesn't and my Mom says it nearly always does so I just tell you without, you know, one way or the other.

Your obedient,

Nxxxx Vxxxxxxxxx

**Author's Note:**

> In French (also, presumably Barrayaran) folk tales, the wicked step-father is as bad or worse than the wicked step-mother and the word for that character is "parâtre". It is pronounced with the inflection English speakers typically give the word "parasite".


End file.
